Migraine headaches can be very painful and disabling to the up to 17% of women and 6% of men who experience them. Migraine prophylaxis, often in the form of pharmaceutical drugs, is used in order to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines.

Acupuncture is also used for migraine prophylaxis, but its effectiveness has been controversial.

Migraine headaches can be very painful and disabling to the up to 17% of women and 6% of men who experience them. Migraine prophylaxis, often in the form of pharmaceutical drugs, is used in order to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. Acupuncture is also used for migraine prophylaxis, but its effectiveness has been controversial. A recent review of 22 clinical trials published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews revealed that acupuncture is at least as effective as prophylactic drugs for migraine .

Investigators reviewed 22 trials which were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in migraine prophylaxis. Of these trials, six trials showed that migraine patients who received acupuncture in addition to basic care of acute headaches experienced fewer headaches up to 9 months after acupuncture treatment was stopped. Four trials compared acupuncture to a proven prophylactic drug, such as sumitriptan, and showed that patients treated with acupuncture reported slightly more improvement and fewer side effects.

The results of this study support the use of acupuncture as an effective treatment option for patients who are seeking relief from migraine headaches. However, insurance reimbursement for acupuncture therapy varies, so migraine patients may want to check with their health insurance carriers prior to initiating this type of treatment.

Source

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;1:CD001218, Published online January 21, 2009.